On Friday, August 14, Nu-Venture at the Gaylord Rockies was everything we hoped it would be. The building was huge, packed with people, chairs, and vendors — Numotion staff and partners running demos everywhere you looked. Event host Michele Longo told us we could have a full court to ourselves from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. That was a gift. Thank you, Michele — for the space, the coordination, and for putting together such a massive day.
We had about an hour to set up our booth and sport chairs before the crowd really rolled in, which gave us time to warm up and get organized. Richard, our new assistant coach, was a huge help getting everything in place and serving as our greeter at the “toll booth” while my dad got chairs ready for anyone who wanted to try power soccer.
Warm-up shenanigans
During warm-up we were tweaking some new stuff — I'm keeping the details under wraps for now. What I will say is that we were absolutely booming the ball. Jack was ripping shots with zero plan — carelessly hammering the ball in ways that made no sense — and I was judging him hard for it, even though Dom and I were doing the same thing, just not as bad. Dom, Jack, and I could not stop smiling.
At one point my dad and I hit a 50 mph boom-boom that slammed into Jack's chair, bounced back, and caught me on the side of my knee. Out of everyone on the court, I'm probably the best person to take that hit besides my dad. We could not pull it off again during the actual demo — we only nailed it that one chaotic time.
I felt bad for the Numotion team and event staff who spent the morning chasing our balls across the expo floor. Sorry — and thank you for being good sports about it.
Clinic time: 10 AM – 1 PM
From 10:00 to 1:00, about ten people got into chairs and played with us. Another twenty or so stopped by the booth to watch and ask questions. That ratio felt right for our second year at Nu-Venture — plenty of curiosity, and enough hands-on time to actually learn something. Out of those ten, we are hoping at least two will turn into real prospects who join us for our first practice of the season. That is exactly what a day like Nu-Venture is for.
Nu-Venture Wheelchair Activities & EXPO Day
Friday, August 14, 2026 · Gaylord Rockies, Aurora, CO
Numotion Foundation · Colorado Wheelchair Basketball · Feel the Beat · NSCD · Rolling Rapids Power Soccer · USA Pickleball · Denver Barbarians Wheelchair Rugby
Thank you
Huge thanks to Michele Longo and the Numotion Foundation for hosting, to every partner organization on the floor, and to everyone who stopped at our court. The day felt successful, fun, and worth repeating — hopefully we get to do it again.
If Nu-Venture was your first look at power soccer and you want to keep playing, come to a Rolling Rapids practice. We train in the Denver metro area and welcome new athletes, families, and volunteers.
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The Freedom Power Soccer Foundation recap of the same day is on the Foundation site.